MILAN- Italian energy group Eni is a strategic partner for Egypt and cooperation between the two is slated to grow, Egypt's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla said on Monday.

"There are a lot of projects to come (with Eni)," he said in a webinar interview on the Mediterranean region.

The minister said Italy was a very important partner for Egypt, adding it was a "Gate to Europe" for Egyptian gas.

(Reporting by Stephen Jewkes; editing by Agnieszka Flak) ((stephen.jewkes@thomsonreuters.com; +39.0266129695; Reuters Messaging: stephen.jewkes.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))